Daily Health Advices

Archive for the ‘Immunizations’ Category

What happened in 1976 with the GBS and the swine flu vaccine?

At first, scientists reported a suspicious connection between GBS and vaccinations in 1976, during a national vaccination campaign against swine flu virus. The investigation revealed that recipients of the vaccine were at an increased risk of GBS than those who were not vaccinated (approximately 1 additional case per 100,000 vaccinees). Because of this association and the fact that the swine flu disease was limited, the vaccination program was stopped.

Since then, numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate if other flu vaccines were associated with GBS. In most studies found no association, but two studies suggest that about 1 person out of 1 million vaccinated people may be at risk of GBS associated with vaccination against seasonal influenza. Read the rest of this entry »

What is Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)?

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare disorder in which the immune system itself to a person damages the nerves, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. GBS can cause symptoms that last a few weeks or several months. Most people recover fully from GBS, but some suffer permanent damage to the nervous system.

There are few cases where people have died due to GBS, fatalities usually associated with respiratory problems. In the U.S., for example, an average of about 3,000 to 6,000 people each year develop GBS, whether or not they received a vaccination. This means about 1 to 2 cases of GBS per 100,000 people. Read the rest of this entry »

Is thimerosal safe when used as a preservative in vaccines?

The CDC prioritizes security, surveillance and vaccine research. The CDC knows of the presence of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines and suggestions of a link to autism that pose a concern. These concerns make decisions about vaccinations confusing and difficult for some people, especially parents. Numerous studies have found no association between thimerosal exposure and autism.

Since 2001, no vaccine approved by the FDA for use in children has contained thimerosal as a preservative and all vaccines routinely recommended by the CDC for children under six years do not contain thimerosal or contain only trace amounts, except in some vaccine formulas influenza. Unfortunately, there have been no reductions in the number of children with autism, suggesting that the cause of autism is not related to a single exposure and thimerosal. Read the rest of this entry »

I have doubts about the use of thimerosal. Are you still using thimerosal?

People have a right to expect that vaccines are safe and effective. The CDC and and the FDA are held vaccines are among the highest levels of security. For this reason the CDC and FDA continually evaluate new scientific information on vaccine safety. Since 2001, no new vaccine licensed by the FDA for use in children has contained thimerosal as a preservative and all vaccines routinely recommended by CDC for children under six years have not contained thimerosal or contain only trace amounts, except the formulations multiple doses of influenza vaccine.

It was only as a precaution and not due to the existence of evidence confirming that thimerosal-containing vaccines were causing health problems. The latest scientific research and rigorous does not support the hypothesis that thimerosal-containing vaccines are harmful. Read the rest of this entry »

What is thimerosal?

Thimerosal is a mercury preservative that has been used for decades in the U.S. in multiple dose vials (vials containing more than one dose) of some vaccines to prevent the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi that contaminate.

What are preservatives and why are they used in vaccines?

In vaccines, preservatives used to prevent growth of bacteria and fungi when they enter the vaccines. This can happen when the syringe needle enters the vial as a vaccine is ready for administration. The contamination of germs in a vaccine can cause serious illness or death. In some vaccines, preservatives are added during the manufacturing process to prevent microbial growth. Read the rest of this entry »

The evidence available at present indicates that there is no real risk of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) if the rubella vaccine is given in a pregnant woman or in the months prior to conception.

Data available in the Register of rubella vaccine in the United States (Oct. 2001), National Surveillance of CRS in the UK (April 2001), Laboratory Enders and Partners of Switzerland and the Institute for Virology, Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, Germany (September . 2001), show that of 680 live births to mothers inadvertently vaccinated susceptible than three months before conception or during pregnancy, not a single case of CRS occurred, so the real risk is “zero.” Read the rest of this entry »

Treatment

There is no antiviral medication to treat infection with rotavirus. Antibiotics do not treat the disease because they fight bacteria and not viruses.

Rotavirus infection can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea. This can lead to dehydration (loss of body fluids). Infants, toddlers, seniors and people with other illnesses are most at risk of dehydration during rotavirus infection.

Signs and symptoms of dehydration in children and adults include:

- Decreased urination
- Dry mouth and throat
- Feeling dizzy when standing Read the rest of this entry »

Diagnosis

The diagnosis can be made by rapid antigen detection of rotavirus in a stool sample. Strains may be further characterized by enzyme immunoassay or chain reactions in reverse transcriptase polymerase, but these tests are not done frequently.

Symptoms

Rotavirus disease is more common in infants and young children, but adults and older children can also become infected by rotavirus. Once a person has been exposed to the virus, symptoms take about 2 days to appear. Read the rest of this entry »

Clinical Features

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea in children and annually causes the hospitalization of approximately 55,000 children in the United States and the death of 527.000 children worldwide. The incubation period for rotavirus disease is approximately 2 days. The disease is characterized by vomiting and watery diarrhea for 3 to 8 days, and presented with fever and abdominal pain.

Both children vaccinated as those who have not been vaccinated can get sick from rotavirus more than once since there are different types of rotavirus and because neither the vaccine nor the naturally acquired infection provides immunity (protection) total future infections. However, a second infection tends to be less severe than the first rotavirus infection. Read the rest of this entry »